The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

"Sir, we just received news."

Song Jun held a still-warm communication jade talisman in his hands, his expression somewhat subtle.

"It seems your senior brother has gone down the mountain. He directly sealed the mountain gate with a great formation and told all the disciples to go to the branch hall for temporary refuge, saying that they should not return to Holy Spirit Mountain unless necessary."

He Lichen took the jade talisman, and as he scanned the few lines of text with his divine sense, the corner of his lips twitched slightly.

They sealed off the mountain gate, dispatched disciples, and even activated the highest level of the mountain-protecting formation.

This isn't about seeking peace and quiet; it's clearly about guarding against thieves.

Who are we guarding against?

It was none other than Empress Yunmian, the Lotus Song Empress.

"My senior brother is really something..."

He put down the jade talisman, his tone tinged with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"Isn't it possible that after the Empress finishes dealing with the Crimson Dust Gu, she'll go to Holy Spirit Mountain to find him again?"

The Lord of the Palace of Fate is free and at ease; his spirit resides in his heart, and his ease is in his body.

His name itself reveals his destiny.

Seemingly carefree and unrestrained, yet possessing profound insight; seemingly lazy and casual, yet with a clear understanding of the mind.

When the clouds are tired, they go with the wind; when he is tired, he goes with his own whims.

The vastness of heaven and earth was nothing more than a fleeting dream for him.

"I wonder where our senior brother went after he went down the mountain."

He Lichen placed the jade talisman back on the table, his tone showing little concern.

From childhood to adulthood, his senior brother has always been the most reliable person in his heart.

No matter how big the trouble I get into, no matter how difficult the problem I encounter, as long as my senior brother is there, I feel like even if the sky falls, someone will hold it up.

This confidence is not without reason.

The eldest brother's father was the most talented Taoist genius in the history of Holy Spirit Mountain, named Lingze.

That name appeared only a few times in the records of the Temple of Fate, but each time it was accompanied by judgments such as "gifted by heaven" and "possessing profound knowledge of the Dao".

Ling Zixian inherited his parents' talents and is truly the chosen one of the Taoist sect.

"I don't know."

Song Jun shook his head, his face blank.

"The Palace Master is always capricious and never consults anyone before going anywhere."

He Lichen nodded slightly, his gaze falling on the surging sea of ​​clouds outside the window.

A moment later, he suddenly remembered something, and his voice carried a hint of amusement.

"Speaking of which, the eldest brother is Zhizhi's cousin. They didn't have a chance to acknowledge their kinship when they met last time."

Ling Zixian's mother is Yue Haohai's younger sister, and also Tang Xixue's aunt.

However, after giving birth to Ling Zixian, the princess passed away for some unknown reason.

Emperor Yuehao was heartbroken and, in his grief, he couldn't help but take his anger out on Lingze.

He resented Lingze for not protecting his sister, and he resented the Palace of Fate for upholding destiny yet failing to save his sister's life.

Since then, the Kingdom of Zhiyue and the Palace of Fate have almost completely severed ties.

Yuehao still cared about his nephew, Ling Zixian.

Unfortunately, a dramatic change occurred in the Zhiyue Sea Kingdom later, and the Yuehao Sea Emperor was sealed away for many years.

Lingze was also heartbroken by the death of his beloved wife, and died of depression a few years later.

The young Ling Zixian was left behind and was raised by the old national teacher.

"Actually, there is one more matter that I have not yet reported."

Songjun stood aside, hesitating for a long time.

He recalled what had happened that night.

The Grand Preceptor's life-giving lamp has truly gone out.

That faint glimmer of light was silently extinguished within the Myriad Stars Array, and everyone thought there was no hope of recovery.

It was the Palace Master, Ling Zixian, who usually found even walking a few extra steps tiring, who personally stepped into the heart of the formation, formed hand seals, and used the radiance of his natal star as a guide to rekindle his life lamp.

He knew the Palace Master's temperament.

Once it's done, it's done; I never talk about it.

But he felt that the Grand Preceptor should know about this.

"grown ups."

Songjun lowered his voice, with a cautious solemnity.

"That day your life lamp went out, and it was the Palace Master who used a forbidden technique to relight it."

He Lichen's fingers tightened suddenly as she gripped the teacup.

The teacup was made of celadon, with a thin body and fine glaze. It trembled slightly between his fingers and almost slipped from his grasp.

He turned his head and his gaze fell on Song Jun's face.

"What did you say?"

Songjun lowered her eyes, not daring to meet his gaze, but still repeated what she had said.

"The Palace Master... used a forbidden technique. He used the radiance of his natal star to light a lamp and prolong his life."

He Lichen's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

Of course he knew what kind of forbidden technique it was.

The records in the Temple of Fate clearly state that the radiance of the caster's own natal star is used as fuel to rekindle the extinguished life lamp of the recipient.

The day the starlight burns out is the day the caster's life force dries up.

That's trading your own life for someone else's.

"My senior brother... actually went to this lengths for me."

His senior brother has always been the one who takes the best care of him.

When he first entered the Palace of Fate, he was still young. The old Grand Preceptor was strict and often punished him by making him copy scriptures or face the wall.

It was his senior brother who secretly brought him food, copied those endless scriptures for him, and squatted beside him to talk to him when he was being punished to kneel.

The senior brother never mentioned those things, as if it were nothing more than a small favor.

Now, the eldest brother has even broken the rules of the Hall of Fate and gone against the will of Heaven for him.

The backlash from forbidden techniques is extremely dangerous; it involves using one's own life force to fill the life force of others, consuming Ling Zixian's own vitality.

"He's not recuperating at the Palace of Fate now, and he dares to run around everywhere. Isn't he afraid he won't be able to come back?"

He Lichen, who wasn't in a hurry before, is now really anxious.

Before he knew about this, he thought that his senior brother was just going down the mountain to relax. With his senior brother's Taoist cultivation, there was nowhere in the world he couldn't go.

But now that he knows that his senior brother had recently used a forbidden technique and suffered a great loss of energy, he is no longer as calm and collected as before.

Genuine anxiety surfaced on that usually cool and composed handsome face.

He Lichen didn't care about many people in her life.

The eldest brother was one of them.

However, their destinies are so unique that they are almost impossible to predict.

This is why he suffered such a severe backlash after forcibly performing divination for Tang Xixue.

Tangxi Xue's destiny is exceptionally noble, beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

If he is already like this, then the senior brother's use of forbidden techniques to defy the heavens will only result in a more severe backlash.

"Senior Brother, where are you?"

He took out a communication jade talisman, and with a flash of inspiration, sent a message in the direction of his senior brother.

The jade talisman remained silent for a moment, offering no response.

Reply immediately upon receiving this letter.

He sent another message, but it still went unanswered.

Three messages were sent, but all came to nothing.

He Lichen's knuckles turned white as she gripped the jade talisman.

He took a deep breath, and his voice regained the composure befitting a national advisor.

"Immediately issue the order: all disciples of the Fate Hall, secretly search for our senior brother's whereabouts. Report to me immediately if you have any news."

"Yes, sir."

Songjun dared not delay and turned to deliver the order.

Meanwhile, in an unnamed mountain forest, a stream murmurs and mist swirls.

Ancient trees on both banks reach for the sky, their branches intertwined, filtering sunlight into fragments of gold, which fall upon the reclining figure by the stream.

Ling Zixian fainted by the stream, half of her robe soaking in the cool water, fluttering gently in the current.

His eyes were closed, his face was as pale as paper, his lips were bloodless, and his breathing was light and shallow.

The black and white yin-yang Taoist robe was mostly soaked by the stream, clinging to his body and outlining his slender figure.

His face, which usually held a lazy smile, was now quiet and almost fragile, like a piece of porcelain forgotten deep in the mountains, on the verge of breaking.

In the stream, a slender, emerald-green snake was silently swimming closer.

The snake's body was no thicker than a thumb, and its scales gleamed with a cold phosphorescence in the dappled sunlight.

Its triangular head was slightly raised, and its scarlet tongue flickered in and out, reaching for the numb wrist that dangled in the stream.

That was a highly poisonous bamboo viper.